MBALEBY DAVID MAFABI

KAMPALA

On June 26, 2006, Mbale town, located in Mbale District, and a number of other towns in Uganda, marked 100 years since their declaration as townships by the colonial government.

AccordingtoTheOfficialGazetteoftheEastAfrica

and Uganda Protectorate Vol. VIII No 161, Mr. H. Hesketh Bell, then His Majesty’s Commissioner, signed a declaration on June 26, 1906, that declared: “By virtue of the powers conferred upon me by the Uganda Township Ordinance 1903, I hereby declare the following places within limits hereinafter set forth to be townships for the purposes of the aforesaid Ordinance”.

By 1951, the town had built modern offices on

what is now called republic Street and after independence in 1962, the Mbale Municipal Councilwas the first town to be granted officialstatus of an urban authority.

Most of the people who have lived since then

especially the now grey haired generation will tell you with nostalgia the days when Mbale was the cleanesttownonEastandcentralAfrica.

In the days Mbale gained reputation as the cleanest town inEastAfrica. TheLatePresidentApollo Milton Obote referred to it as the “Jewel of EastAfrica”.Mbalerotaryclubthendescribeditasthe town with the best and well-designed roads.

According to Mbale historians, the town developed alongalowridgerunningfromEasttoWestatthefoot hills of Mt Nkokonjeru, currently known as Wanalehill.

Visible from all parts of the town with its picturesque cliffs, escadingwaterfalls and greencultivatedslopes, theWanale ridgesupplementsthe town’s allure; the white rocks along the hills are spread like a white sheet on the hills, no wonder the late colonial agent Mr Semei Kakungulu called it a white cock due to the white rocks that appear from a distance like a white cock.

An elder and former speaker Mr Davies Mwaule

says Mbale’s beginnings can be traced to an ivory tusks gathering site. This site had numerous rocks locally called Zimbale from which the district derived its name Mbale [Meaning stones].

Mr Mwaule says that with the support of the

colonial masters, the then colonial agent Mr Semei Kakungulu transformed Mbale into a commercial and metropolitan town.

“The development enterprises like African textile mills boasted market in in Kenya, Tanzania,Sudana, DR Congo and Zambia which helped the town to grow. All the industries helped the running of the town because they maintained roads, kept buildings clean, Mbale depended on them for survival,” said Mr Mwaule.

ThelucrativecoffeetradeledtotheestablishmentofoneofEastAfrica’spremierandpioneercoffeetrading unions, the Bugisu Cooperative Union in

1954. “Establishmentoftheunion,Mbalewasinaugurate

with many businessmen eager to stand the treat of the flourishing trade. It quickly evolved into acoffee business melting point for coffee tradersfrom the north, far east, central, western and southernSudan,”MrJackWamaiWamanga,themunicipality MP says.

Mr Wamai says that many indigenous coffee

farmers and traders became wealthy as a result of the town’sboomingandorganizedCoffee,hidesand skins, Ivory and cotton trade.

“Actually most of these bought land in Mbale

and constructed beautiful houses, improved on infrastructure that made Mbale town, the most beautiful and organized town in the late 1960s,through the 1970s and early 1980s,” added Mr Wamai.

MrWamaiexplainedthatMbaleMunicipalityisthe

third largest town in Uganda after Kampala, the Capital City and that it consists of three autonomous but inter-dependent lower local GovernmentCouncils/Divisions or boroughs namely Industrial, northern and Wanale Division Councils, whichtogether with the Mother Council are responsible for the socio-economic development and planning of the town.

He added that the town has long been known to

be the cleanest town in east and central Africa withwell-plannedandorganizedstreetsthathaveonly been damaged due to poor management and increasing population.

Expansion The deputy town clerk Mr Kenneth Khatuli says

the increasing human settlement has created new residential estates despite the delay of a Municipality Physical planning to expand the boundaries of Mbale municipal local government council to include Munkaga, Namanyonyi and

Nakaloke in question for a city status. He said the municipality has also created Mbale

physical planning department created to enforce planning and bring orderly settlement and development in the rapidly growing urban areas around Mbale.

He explained that Mbale municipal council hatched

the idea two years ago to carve parts of the three sub-counties and annex to Mbale as a unitary governance entity in order to gain a city status.

He revealed that the major residential areas have

emerged beyond Mbale municipality, especially on all major roads connecting to the town.

He further said the geographical location of Mbale municipality, its neighborhoods, accessibility, road network and power supply are the main determinants of market prices for a plots of land today in Mbale municipality.

Mr Khatuli explained that Mbale Municipality is one of the most competitive and attractive business centres in eastern Uganda and that this has further been aided by its close proximity to Kenya.

He added that Mbale’s status as a business hub

has resulted in high rates of migration into the townasmanypeopleflocktoMbaleinsearchoflivelihood opportunities.

“This has led to high population growth and

which has caused a strain on the town’s social infrastructure and led to the mushrooming of slums such as Kikyafu, Kisenyi, Mooni, and Namatala /Malukhu among others,” Mr Khatuli noted.

The Municipality Public Relations Officer Mr

James Kutosi says Mbale stands at the Mbale is approximately 245 kilometres (152 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala on an all-weather tarmac highway.The coordinates of the city are 1°04’50.0”N, 34°10’30.0”E (Latitude:1.080556;Longitude:34.175000).

He explained that the town lies on the main great

North African road that runs from South Africa to Cairo through Nimule in northern Uganda.

HeaddedthatMtElgon,oneofthehighestpeaksinEastAfrica, isapproximately52kilometres(32mi) east of Mbale and that the town is 45 minutes away from the border with Kenya that makes the cross border business a big activity in the area.

He revealed that the town has both two three starandfivestarhotelsthatofferhospitalitytoallvisitors within and outside the country.

Beautiful town and tourist destination Mr Saleh Naminya a businessman and proprietor ofCasadelturistaapopularcoffeeshopinMbalesays that even when it is true that Mbale doesn’t havethefeaturesthattheEuropeantownsboastof, but for people that a seeking to adventure, there is more than just the clock tower standing tall as you enter the busy town

“InMbaleyouwillexperiencethecoffeestoryfromthe garden to your cup and a highlight to visiting Mbale is a tour that takes you through the entire coffeeprocessatanearby family farm,”saidMrNaminyi.

Headds that youwill pick the coffeeberries, to

the shell and grind them with a traditional mortar andpestle,androastthemonanopenfire,before-thebestpart-finishingwithafinecupofstrongArabicacoffee.

HikingtothetopofWanaleRidge TheMunicipalPublicRelationsOfficerMrJames Kutosi says Wanale ridge is obviously Mbale’s

MBALE MUNICIPALITY

Mbale Republick Street under reconstruction

Mbale Clock Tower- the Central point of the Town

Infrastructural Development an engine for transformation in Mbale Municipality

fascinating beauty and that a hike to the top of the ridge reveals how Mbale is gifted by nature.

“And for those adventurous at heart, the hike covers 3 to 4 hours, or less depending on the speed of the hikers,” says Mr Kutosi.

Cultural Tour Mr Kutosi adds that the Bugisu cultural practice, of

circumcision was boys are initiated into men is an eventwhicheverypersonacrosstheWorldwouldLovetoattend.

He says the ceremony is usually held every even year and characterized with merry making andfestivals in and around Mbale town but adds that the dance troupes that take you through the process of circumcision.

The Town clerk Ms Tappy Namulondo says a visitor in Mbale could also have a religious tour because Mbale has a varied number of people living harmoniously with the biggest Islamic university in Uganda.

She adds that near the town, is the famous Kakungulu hill is a big settlement of the black Jews or commonly known as the Abayudaya that keep all sacraments of their Jewish faith.

She explained that food or culinary is an essential part of every traveler and that Mbale being a food basketoffersquiteanumber

“AndbananasgrownattheslopesofMt.Elgonaresure to switch your taste buds due to their sweetness and Mbale is famous for Malewa, a delicacy gotten from bamboo shoots, this is an all restaurants and Hotels in town,” said Ms Namulondo.

The PLAN According to the mayor Mr Mutwalib Zandya, the

municipality is also using ‘Operation Transformation’ a concept borrowed from the KCCA enforcement model.

He said after a meeting with KCCA executive director, Jennifer Musisi in 2016, Mbale Municipality technical and political representatives wing left the municipality Hall convinced that Musisi’s approach is suitable for Mbale.

“So we implemented it and the fruit seems visible,

the challenge now is to maintain the focus of both the political and technical wing which is on his priority list,” said Mr Zandya.

Mr Zandya explained further that the expansion

of the town is underway after spending about Shs1,000,000,000= to compensate National Forestry Authority (NFA) with land purchased in Bulambuli.

“In this deal, the NFA will be surrendering its 430

hectares of land in the town to the municipality authority in exchange of 550 hectares of land secured in Bulambuli—which is out of the town,” added Mr Zandya.

He explained that with that already done, the next phase will be demarcation of the NFA land with each part of the municipality being defined forparticular activities as in a city.

He said a plan, although Daily Monitor did not see it, has been presented to the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Urban Development in consideration for a city status. 2017/2018 budget. “and with the municipal budget now estimated at Shs 28.6 billion this 2017/ 18 FY, one of the sectors that has benefitedmost from thisgrowth is the roadsandtransport sector,” explains Mr Zandya.

He says due to the growth in internal revenues, the municipality has also increased its stake in financing the roadsdevelopmentbudget to60%,with development partners now financing about40%.

Ms Namulondo the town clerk says although Plinth

technical services won the contract in July to do major road rehabilitation works worth 12 billion shillings under the Uganda Support to Municipality Infrastructural Development –USMID, which is funded by World Bank, they have never beencompleted and that the contractor has abandoned the project.

“And as a municipality, we have been asked

to take over and complete the works, we have already advertised and we are sure the roads will be expanded and the pending drainage system completed to help the town towards its journey to regainitslostgloryasthecleanesttowninEastandCentral Africa,” said Ms Namulondo.

She explained that the council has re-advertised the road works after advice from World Bankand USMID and that a total of Shs 14 billion will be spent on the remaining works along Republic

street,MugisuhillandNABUYONGARISE. According to the budget, Works department will

take Shs 5.6 billion while Health department will take Shs 983million.

Economic situation The Mbale Central business District (CbD) is

promoting a strong economic infrastructure which has developed into a regional commercial and administrative centre, attracting a large number of business investment opportunities

The industrial sector is very significant,mainly in

processing of commercial and agricultural products, light engineering works and warehousing. The transport sector also plays an important part in the economy of Mbale.

These sectors provide both formal and informal

employment to the residents of Mbale, thus contributing greatly to the economic and social welfare of the residents.

Ms Namulondo says the Council has plans to

address urban poverty problem by strengthening the activities of Savings and Credit Co-operative Organizations (SaCCOs) for the prosperity for allprogrammes, improvement and expansion of the town and improvement of drainage in the markets.

The District Private Sector Promotion Centre

in Mbale also compliments the activities of the economic sector.

Municipal funding The Municipality lacks the capacity to finance

infrastructure development and maintenance and the provision of basic social services due to the challenge of poor revenue collection, plans are however, underway to ensure increased revenue with great resolve from from both technical and political leadership.

Ms Namulondo says in order to enhance revenue collection and mobilization, the Municipality has

a five Year Development Plan, the annual localGovernment budget and the local Governmentbudget Framework Paper as a benchmark for prioritization of projects that can work asspringboards for further development..

“These guidelines and activities help the Finance

and Planning Sector to ensure safe custody of all funds for the Municipality,” said Ms Namulondo.

Most of Mbale Municipality’s expenditure (38.8

percent) goes towards the provision of education whileLocalGovernmentManagementandservicedelivery takes up (3.5 percent) of the budget.

Education Mr Boaz Kamuli, the senior Education Officersays thatover theyears, significantprogresshasbeen made to increase enrolment, retention and completion of basic education.

He said with support from communities, NGOs

the municipality has invested in the construction of infrastructure such as classroom blocks, staffquarters, latrine stances and provision of furniture to provide a condusive learning environment for learners in schools.

Mr Kamuli says that the municipality has an

enrollment of over 59418 students in both primary and secondary level; 29678 are in primary and 52418 in secondary.

“And we have 28 government primary schools and

25 private owned and the private schools perform better than then government aided in national examinations,’ he adds. He noted that they still face challenges including infrastructure, funds, increasing number of students, and existing hostile environment in some schools.

“And the high teacher: pupil ratio that stands

at 1: 100 and government aided schools are the ones that are facing Manpower shortage,” said Mr Kamuli

He explained that one of the key focus areas

for Municipality education department will take Shs 10.6 billion to address the negative physical environment that affect equitable access toeducation and that in areas with poor school infrastructure, communities have been supported to improve them.

casadelturistaapopularcoffeeshopinMbaleMbale Central Market a beehive of activities

Mayor Mutwalib Zandya center, with other municipal councillors after a council session

Infrastructural Development an engine for transformation in Mbale Municipality

Part of Mbale Municipality, Republic street under construction

Ms Tappy Namulondo